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Parallel – in the same direction. Transverse – intersecting at any angle, i.e. not parallel. Orthogonal (or perpendicular) – at a right angle (at the point of intersection). Elevation – along a curve from a point on the horizon to the zenith, directly overhead. Depression – along a curve from a point on the horizon to the nadir ...
A wave can be longitudinal where the oscillations are parallel (or antiparallel) to the propagation direction, or transverse where the oscillations are perpendicular to the propagation direction. These oscillations are characterized by a periodically time-varying displacement in the parallel or perpendicular direction, and so the instantaneous ...
An (longitudinal) P-wave is partially reflected and transmitted (PSt and PPt) as a (transverse) S-wave (PSr) and (longitudinal) P-wave (PPr). The nomenclature is as follows: First letter stands for the wave type of the causal wave (primary wave) and the second letter for the type of secondary waves generated after mode conversion.
The other main type of wave is the transverse wave, in which the displacements of the medium are at right angles to the direction of propagation. Transverse waves, for instance, describe some bulk sound waves in solid materials (but not in fluids); these are also called "shear waves" to differentiate them from the (longitudinal) pressure waves ...
Transverse waves are contrasted with longitudinal waves, where the oscillations occur in the direction of the wave. The standard example of a longitudinal wave is a sound wave or "pressure wave" in gases, liquids, or solids, whose oscillations cause compression and expansion of the material through which the wave is propagating.
For longitudinal waves such as sound waves in fluids, the direction of oscillation is by definition along the direction of travel, so the issue of polarization is normally not even mentioned. On the other hand, sound waves in a bulk solid can be transverse as well as longitudinal, for a total of three polarization components.
Both transverse and longitudinal waves may have longitudinal modes when confined to a cavity. The analysis of longitudinal modes is especially important in lasers with single transversal mode, for example, in single-mode fiber lasers. The number of longitudinal modes of such a laser can be estimated as ratio of the spectral width of gain to the ...
A plane wave is classified as a transverse wave if the field disturbance at each point is described by a vector perpendicular to the direction of propagation (also the direction of energy transfer); or longitudinal wave if those vectors are aligned with the propagation direction. Mechanical waves include both transverse and longitudinal waves ...